Is the high incidence of esophageal cancer inherited from generation to generation?

Is esophageal cancer inherited from the previous generation? This is a question many esophageal cancer patients ask when they consult oncologists. They are very worried that their disease will be passed on to their offspring, and they want to know whether esophageal cancer has the characteristics of being inherited from the previous generation. For this reason, the editor invites experts to give you a detailed introduction.

Experts say: esophageal cancer is not hereditary, but it has a genetic susceptibility. Researchers have found that the children of esophageal cancer patients have several times more chances of developing esophageal cancer than the average person. Tumors with this characteristic are called hereditary familial cancer. For hereditary familial esophageal cancer, those with defective genes are much more likely to develop the disease than those with intact genes. So, will esophageal cancer be inherited from generation to generation? A large amount of clinical data confirms that the descendants of esophageal cancer patients in the family do not necessarily suffer from esophageal cancer, but there are also relevant data showing that in a very small number of esophageal cancer families, about one-third of the members have successively developed esophageal cancer, and the incidence rate of men and women is the same. Such esophageal cancer patients are related to genetics, but looking at the world, such families are quite rare. In short, there is no clear conclusion on whether esophageal cancer will be inherited from generation to generation, but if there is a history of esophageal cancer in the family, it is recommended to take appropriate preventive measures and treat the disease in time to achieve a good prognosis.

Finally, the expert warned patients: Many patients think that they are cured after the local treatment relieves the disease, and thus stop consolidation. In fact, this idea is wrong. Subsequent consolidation treatment is still needed after the treatment of esophageal cancer. Otherwise, after recurrence or metastasis, further treatment will be more difficult than the initial treatment.